The official X account of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime production committee issued a statement on December 25 regarding the unauthorized use of Jujutsu Kaisen-related content in mobile games. The team explained that they will be taking strict measures against the offenses, warning users not to download or play the titles in question.
As disclosed in the statement, none of the mentioned titles were granted permission to use any Jujutsu Kaisen-related content and materials in their planning, development or distribution, and such actions fall under copyright infringement. The production committee seems determined to crack down on the offenders, and has said that it will be filing requests for the games to be removed from each of the respective platforms distributing them.
Although the post does not specify the exact name of the applications, it is believed that the statement refers to Domain Duel (Japanese title: Tokkyuu Jujutsushi), a “strategic card game” featuring characters and art which bear striking resemblance to those from Jujutsu Kaisen. Ads for the game, containing animations “oddly similar” to those in the hit anime series, have recently been circulating on YouTube and other video platforms in Japan, sparking controversy among Japanese users.
Over on Apple’s App Store, the seller of Domain Duel is listed Hongkong Mingmei Carpet Manufacture International Group Limited, with the game being distributed under the copyright label © Tokkyuu Jujutsushi. Note that the game’s description does not mention Jujutsu Kaisen at all. However, the app’s icon features a character reminiscent of Sukuna, and the gameplay images showcased on the store page contain multiple other characters which, one would say, look a bit too similar to the cast of Jujutsu Kaisen, going as far as having the same names. Users also report that the game uses multiple terms that appear in the series, the most obvious example being “Domain Expansion, Unlimited Void.”
While it isn’t clear if the warning only referred to Domain Duel, it wouldn’t been surprising if there were more “rip-off” games hiding throughout the App Store. In recent days, there’s been a wave of similar cases of misleading video game ads and rip-off apps popping up across the Internet, with the presumed goal to generate buzz, collect quick revenue and run away after getting hit with a cease-and-desist. One latest example of this includes Silent Fear: Last Stop, an AI-generated Silent Hill f rip-off, which has since been removed from the App Store.
